Asukkaan Helsinki? : Tapaustutkimus vuorovaikutteisuudesta kaupunkisuunnittelussa

This study examines the interaction between inhabitants and urban planning. In addition to traditional methods of participation there can be seen an increasing need to find new channels and means to influence on one´s environment. Hearing of inhabitants during planning is hoped to decrease the amount of claims and this way to speed up the planning process. Discussion that emphasizes competitiveness and innovativeness in planning has brought out the role of inhabitants as selective consumers and end users. This extension of civil perspective completes the thought of participation in city planning and adds the pressure on developing the interaction and user orientation. The aim of the study is to point out the present situation of inhabitant´s participation and influencing in Helsinki. Helsinki City Planning Department opened a new information and exhibiotion hall called Laituri in 2008. Laituri provides the latest information about planning projects in Helsinki and temporary exhibitions as well as it operates as communication channel and information point for the department. In this study Laituri is examined as a case study of interaction between citizen and planner. The study is divided into two principal themes. The aim is to research action and interactivity at Laituri from the inhabitants´and planners´point of view. The qualitative study has inquiries, interview surveys and observation as research methods. Empiricial data of the study consists of three parts which complement each other: Laituri operational reseach, inquiry directed to the members of Laituri team and interviews of three experts. The aim is to find answers to questions like, does Laituri reach the citizens and will the opportunities to participate improve along Laituri. The study examines also how the local knowledge of inhabitants will come across to planners and further to planning. The study combines discussions of inhabitants´ influencing in Finnish society and science community. Cornerstones of the study are inhabitant participation, interaction and local knowledge in urban planning. The theory behind the study is communicative planning theory. In addition the theory consists of key concepts. The study introduces a concept of Inhabitant´s Helsinki, which reflects the inhabitant as customer-citizen who is an active product developer in participative urban planning. According to the research results the experts of Laituri and majority of inhabitants in Helsinki experience that the inhabitant´s possibilities to participate will improve along Laituri. However half of the citizens in Helsinki believe that local knowledge and ideas will only have minor impact on the final plan. According to city dwellers the present practise used by Helsinki City Planning Department supports only partially adequate interaction. The experts of Laituri experience that the role of Laituri is first of all forum of communication and discussion channel instead of effective local data collector. Based on the results the study introduces a model of inhabitant´s participation field. According to the model Laituri can be seen as phenomenom in Helsinki urban planning which has the elements of network municipality. The planner is more like diplomatic trend-setter and visionary. The inhabitant of Helsinki is an expert in city living and participative producer of local knowledge. Participation methods are increasingly segmented and tailored in every plan and project. The study argues that Inhabitant´s Helsinki is a pluralistic milieu in constant pressure for change. Therefore reaching the everyday life experiencies of inhabintants should be at higher degree in Helsinki City Planning Department´s operations.

Biocompatibility and biofunctionalization of mesoporous silicon particles

Several of the newly developed drug molecules experience poor biopharmaceutical behavior, which hinders their effective delivery at the proper site of action. Among the several strategies employed in order to overcome this obstacle, mesoporous silicon-based materials have emerged as promising drug carriers due to their ability to improve the dissolution behavior of several poorly water-soluble drugs compounds confined within their pores. In addition to improve the dissolution behavior of the drugs, we report that porous silicon (PSi) nanoparticles have a higher degree of biocompatibility than PSi microparticles in several cell lines studied. In addition, the degradation of the nanoparticles showed its potential to fast clearance in the body. After oral delivery, the PSi particles were also found to transit the intestines without being absorbed. These results constituted the first quantitative analysis of the behavior of orally administered PSi nanoparticles compared with other delivery routes in rats. The self-assemble of a hydrophobin class II (HFBII) protein at the surface of hydrophobic PSi particles endowed the particles with greater biocompatibility in different cell lines, was found to reverse their hydrophobicity and also protected a drug loaded within its pores against premature release at low pH while enabling subsequent drug release as the pH increased. These results highlight the potential of HFBII-coating for PSi-based drug carriers in improving their hydrophilicity, biocompatibility and pH responsiveness in drug delivery applications. In conclusion, mesoporous silicon particles have been shown to be a versatile platform for improving the dissolution behavior of poorly water-soluble drugs with high biocompatibility and easy surface modification. The results of this study also provide information regarding the biofunctionalization of the THCPSi particles with a fungal protein, leading to an improvement in their biocompatibility and endowing them with pH responsive and mucoadhesive properties.

Women, Management and Leadership - Naiset ja johtajuus : NASTA Women's Leadership Project Final Report

Leadership without the full participation of women not only excludes women individually and collectively, but is also a huge waste of talent, knowledge and expertise. And crucially, given the current state of society and the world, this aspect of gender inequality is likely to become even more important in the future. NASTA - Women’s Leadership: A Research and Education Development Project was established in 2005 as a national multi-university project mainly and generously funded by Finnish Ministry of Education. The project aims at producing new knowledge and increasing understanding about women’s leadership, as well as promoting women’s leadership through research, development of teaching, and public outreach. NASTA is a joint effort of three Finnish universities – Hanken School of Economics, University of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics, and the Helsinki School of Economics (now part of Aalto University) – and has been coordinated by Hanken. This report presents research and activities conducted within and around the project. NASTA activities have been many and various. They have examined the position and experiences of women in relation to leadership, management, organisation and work more generally. They have sought new knowledge about gender and leadership, on women leaders’ values, attitudes and behaviour, as well as about values, attitudes and behaviour in relation to women’s leadership. NASTA activities have included teaching, student supervision, research theses, research projects, publishing, networking, seminars, meetings, an international conference, and knowledge transfer into other sectors of society. The first section of the book introduces NASTA joint projects, including web-based teaching material, a survey of gender staffing and teaching on gender in business schools, critical review of previous research literature, and new empirical research. The next section includes research articles on different aspects of gender, leadership and manage¬¬ment from more individual projects conducted by participating researchers and research groups linked to NASTA across the three universities. The final section includes short presentations of other research in progress. The appendix lists publications by NASTA members – journal articles, research reports, books, chapters, journal special issues, popular journal articles, magazine articles - and masters, licentiate and doctoral theses that have been produced. These matters of women, leadership and management are not simply academic concerns but urgent matters for practice, organisations, management, policy, and society more generally.